plebiscite
/ˈplɛbɪsʌɪt
/ /ˈplɛbɪsɪt/noun
1The direct vote of all the members of an electorate on an important public question such as a change in the constitution: the administration will hold a plebiscite for the approval of constitutional reforms...
- The leading business association even advocated a ‘no’ vote in the 1999 plebiscite on the new constitution.
- This involves not one but three votes in two plebiscites and one federal referendum - and heaven knows how many state votes.
- There could be no question of a plebiscite on a constitution, after what had happened in Piedmont, and Napoleon was not one to waste time with constituent assemblies.
Synonyms
vote, referendum, ballot, poll
1.1 Roman History A law enacted by the plebeians' assembly.Dionysius can cite a plebiscite of 492 protecting a tribune from interruption at a public meeting,...
- From then on legislation was formulated more and more by means of plebiscites.
Derivatives
plebiscitary
- Furthermore, the plebiscitary presidency is dependent upon the creation of ‘spectacles’ that encourage awestruck citizens to become passive spectators rather than active participants in politics.
- Twentieth-century totalitarians - fascists and communists - felt constrained to bow toward popular sovereignty with plebiscitary forms.
- The Good Friday agreement's plebiscitary clauses in Northern Ireland are also rife with inflammatory possibilities, jeopardizing the losers' future.
Origin
Mid 16th century (referring to Roman history): from French plébiscite, from Latin plebiscitum, from plebs, pleb- 'the common people' + scitum 'decree' (from sciscere 'vote for'). The sense 'direct vote of the whole electorate' dates from the mid 19th century.